Kona HI

Cruise vessels cannot dock here, so tenders land passengers in downtown Kailua-Kona Village.

A free, open-air trolley leaves from the pier and circles town, offering good opportunities for photographs. It travels up to the Target shopping area, then down to Magic Sands, with its attractive white sand, and Kahaluu Bay for snorkelling. The drop-off is at the Outrigger hotel and the return circuit takes around an hour. Walk through the open-air lobby and follow the waterfront path through beautiful grounds and views.

Three volcanoes divide Hawaii's Big Island: Hualalai, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Together they separate the island into broad eastern and western halves. Hilo occupies the eastern, windward side, while Kona lies on the western, leeward side.

Kailua-Kona, the principal western city, sits below Hualalai Volcano. Excellent weather and good water made it the favoured place to live in ancient times, and many kings established homes here. Missionaries later built churches and residences, changing the small fishing village into a modest seaport.

Ali'i Drive, the main street, follows the waterfront through central town from Kailua Pier to Kuamo'o Battlefield. Historic sites sit among modern visitor attractions, with plentiful restaurants, shops and hotels. Sunsets from the seawall are almost always impressive.

Kailua Village is most easily explored on foot.

Free Island-Wide Bus Service operates on every Scheduled Route across the rest of the island.

For car hire, Enterprise operates in Kona, while Thrifty and Dollar are based at King Kam Hotel opposite the tender landing.

Numerous boats run varied excursions, including party, fishing and snorkelling trips.

Hawaii's Big Island is culturally and geographically varied, making it an interesting and educational destination. Sights include the world-renowned erupting Kiluaea volcano and ancient petroglyphs dating back hundreds of years. Kealakekua Bay provides what is regarded as the islands' finest snorkelling and diving cove and is also where Captain James Cook was murdered.

A lesser-known fact is that Mauna Kea Volcano, the world's tallest mountain, measures 32,000 feet from its base to a summit 13,796 feet above sea level.

Kona is renowned for its coffee, although buying it there is reportedly expensive. Purchasing coffee outside Kona or at Long's Pharmacy is recommended.

A farmer's market operates Wed-Sun from 7am until 4pm.

The United States dollar, identified by $, is the official U.S. currency. ATMs are available everywhere.

Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are accepted widely, even for purchases worth only a few dollars, and can sometimes be the only payment option. Overseas visitors should remember that displayed prices may seem low because taxes and gratuities are seldom included.

Most states apply sales tax ranging from 2.9% to nearly 10% of retail price, with 4-6% typical. It is almost never included in the marked price and is instead calculated at payment. Exceptions cover gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic drinks consumed on-premises.

Tipping is widespread and expected in America. Although Americans debate the right amount and who should receive it, the following rates are generally accepted:

• At full-service restaurants, tip 15-20%; this is often the waiter's or waitress's only income. Leave cash or add it to the credit-card slip. Few restaurants impose an automatic service fee; if one appears, any further tip is your choice. Check the bill.
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and similar personal-service workers normally receive 10-15%.
• Give bartenders $1 for each inexpensive drink or 15% of the total.
• Bellhops usually receive $1-2 per bag, subject to a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• Tip hotel doormen $1 for each assisted bag and $1 when they call a cab.
• Tour-guide tips vary by trip length, group size and overall quality. Allow $5-10 per person for half-day tours or shorter and $10-20 per person for longer excursions.
• Private-car and limousine drivers generally receive 15-20%.
• An optional housekeeping tip is $1-2 per day for long hotel stays or a $5 minimum for very short visits.
• Food delivery, including pizza, usually merits $2-5 and perhaps more for particularly large orders.

The U.S. has no official language at federal level, but English is overwhelmingly standard in daily use, and several states have designated it their official language. Spanish is also official and widely spoken in New Mexico; French is official in Louisiana and Hawaiian in Hawaii. Neither rivals English in use, and both statuses exist mainly for historical reasons.

Call 911 in an emergency.

In major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, many supermarkets and drugstores routinely open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Department stores, shopping centres and other large retailers generally trade from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours, commonly 11 a.m. or noon until 5 or 6 p.m. Businesses tend to open on holidays, except major occasions such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when shops are usually closed.